Amnesty International

Amnesty International is one of the world's most prominent human rights organisations.

Amnesty International claims that it is not pro-abortion, but it now campaigns for the decriminalisation of abortion. In an October 2010 reply to a SPUC supporter, Amnesty International said that the organisation had in 2006 defined their policy to "Provide women and men with full information on sexual and reproductive health; Repeal laws criminalizing abortion...Ensure access to abortion services to any woman who becomes preganant as the result of rape, sexual assault or incest, or where a pregnancy poses a risk to a woman's life or a grave risk to her health."

The late Michael Evans, Catholic bishop of East Anglia, England, and a prominent member of Amnesty International, left the organisation in protest at its change of policy to support legal abortion. Amnesty International has also criticised Latin American countries for banning or restricting abortion.

Recent developments

Amnesty International's "Integrated Strategic Plan 2010 to 2016" states that it will work for the "...protection of sexual and reproductive rights and health" (p. 8). SPUC comment: "sexual and reproductive rights and health" is used commonly as either a technical term or a euphemism for abortion on demand.

In recent years, Amnesty International has become increasingly vocal over issues such as the legalisation abortion. In 2014, the charity launched a campaign entitled “My Body, My Rights” which aims to highlight “the increasing repression of sexual and reproductive rights in many countries around the world that prioritise repressive policies over human rights and basic freedoms”. It seeks to legalise abortion in countries such as El Slavador and Ireland.

A campaigner stated: “It is shocking that in 2014 it is still not possible for a woman in Northern Ireland to have an abortion where the pregnancy is a result of her being raped or where there is a fatal foetal abnormality.” In August 2015, Amnesty International Delegates adopted a resolution which authorised the development and adoption of a policy supporting the full decriminalisation of all consensual sex work.